International Congress

LASA Resolutions Procedures and Guidelines

Calendar of Dates and Deadlines (for 2019) - Coming Soon

Preparing the Content and Meeting Other Submission Requirements

The content of a resolution must be consistent with the purposes of LASA, as set forth in article II of the Constitution.

The resolution may not contain erroneous, tortious, or possible libelous statements.

The resolution, if adopted, must not pose a threat to the association’s operation as a tax-exempt organization.

The entire text of the resolution is limited to 100 words.

The resolution must be accompanied by material that provides evidence in support of the resolution(s) claims. Supporting documentation is limited to 24 single-sided pages.

The resolution (and emergency resolutions) must be accompanied by the signatures of at least thirty current members of the association. Signatures may be submitted in any of the following ways:

As a collection of signatures mailed with the resolution;

As a collection of signatures faxed with the resolution text; with the original of the fax forwarded to the LASA office within seven business days; or

As a collective statement of support e-mailed with the resolution text, with printouts (electronic PDF format) of the original e-mail messages signed by each originator or supported and forwarded to the LASA main email (lasa@pitt.edu) by the deadline.

Following Conventional Form

A resolution consists of a resolved clause or clauses that set forth the resolution’s objectives. It may also contain a preamble that sets forth the reason or reasons for the resolved clause or clauses. A preamble is, in essence, free debate; that is, it puts before the voting body some of the arguments in support of the resolution in advance of the meeting, during which debate is strictly limited. However, a preamble has some disadvantages. It may work against adoption if members agree with the resolved clauses but do not agree with the preamble or find the content of the preamble overstated or poorly expressed. Also, of course, a preamble uses some of the 100-word limit imposed on LASA resolutions and may therefore interfere with the careful and complete statement of the resolved clauses.

Writers of resolutions should avoid references to unknowable future events and activities since a resolution should not commit the association to a particular course of action in the absence of clear knowledge of a situation. By the same token, writers of resolution should state facts, not opinions.

LASA conventionally uses the following form for a resolution without a preamble.

Be it resolved that_______________; and

Be it further resolved that_________.

LASA conventionally uses the following form for a resolution with a preamble.

Whereas_______________________;

Whereas_______________________; and

Whereas_______________________;

Be it resolved that_______________; and

Be it further resolved that_________.

“Be it resolved that” should be followed by verbs in the subjunctive form.

Submission Checklist for Regular Resolutions

A regular resolution is one that is submitted by March 20, 2019. The deadline is a receipt deadline. Only LASA members who are in good standing for the current year may submit resolutions.

The following materials must be submitted by the deadline to the chair of the Subcommittee on Resolutions in care of the LASA Executive Director at the LASA office. Materials may be submitted by postal mail or e-mail. See below for address information. The proposer of record must identify himself or herself and provide full contact information.

text of the resolution (limited to 100 words, inclusive of preamble, if any, and resolved clause or clauses)

30 supporting signatures (see note 1, below)

complete background information (i.e., “material that provides evidence in support of the resolution’s claims”; see note 2 below)

Note 1: Original signatures are required. Only LASA members who are in good standing for the current year may offer their signatures in support of a resolution. Signatures may be submitted in any of the following ways: (1) The proposer of record may gather original signatures in advance and submit them by postal mail, to arrive at the LASA office by March 20, 2019. (2) Individual supporters of a resolution may send their signatures separately by postal mail, to arrive at the LASA office by March 20, 2019. (3) Signatures should be faxed (412-648-7929), collectively or individually, to meet the March 20, 2019 deadline. The original of the fax must then be mailed to the LASA office so that it arrives within seven business days of the deadline. (4) A statement of support for a resolution should be e-mailed to meet the March 20, 2019 deadline. A printout of the e-mail message (electronic PDF format) signed by the supporter must then be e-mailed to the LASA main email (lasa@pitt.edu) so that it arrives by the deadline.

Note 2: The proposer of record should submit background information that he or she deems necessary to support the resolution’s claims. The background information may either be submitted by mail or in electronic form (PDF files or MS Word files are strongly preferred). Faxed materials are not acceptable. Limit supporting documentation to 24 single-sided pages.

Submission Checklist for Emergency Resolutions

Resolutions that are “occasioned by emergencies arising after March 20, 2019” are designated emergency resolutions. Emergency resolutions must be submitted at least 24 hours before the scheduled start of the LASA Business Meeting during the LASA Congress.

The following materials must be submitted to the chair of the Subcommittee on Resolutions or in care of the LASA Executive Director. The proposer of record must identify himself or herself and provide full contact information.

text of the resolution (limited to 100 words, inclusive of preamble, if any, and resolved clause or clauses; see note 3 for an additional restriction on the resolution text)

30 supporting signatures (see note 4, below)

complete background information (i.e., “material that provides evidence in support of the resolution’s claims”; see note 5, below)

Note 3: Emergency resolutions shall not name individuals or institutions in such a way that, in the determination of the LASA Executive Council, a response from the named party must be sought.

Note 4: Original signatures are required. Only LASA members who are in good standing for the current year may offer their signatures in support of a resolution.

Note 5: The proposer of record should submit all the background information that he or she deems necessary to support the resolution’s claims. The background information must be submitted on paper.

Address Information

The postal address to use for submitting a resolution and related materials is:

American Studies Association

LASA Executive Director

315 South Bellefield Avenue – Suite 416

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

The fax number to use for submitting a resolution and related material is: 412-624-7145

The electronic address to use for submitting a resolution and related material is: lasa@pitt.edu